BEIJING, Feb 8 (Reuters) - China’s January coal imports rose to the highest monthly level since January 2014, customs data showed on Thursday, as heavy snow storms across the country boosted demand at utilities and snarled domestic transport networks.

The world’s No.2 economy brought in 27.81 million tonnes of coal last month, up from 22.74 million in December and 24.91 million a year ago, the General Administration of Customs said.

The cold snap pushed daily coal consumption at utilities to a record seasonal high of 850,0000 tonnes as of Feb. 2, while inventories at power plants fell to a critical level of less than 15 days of consumption, data from consultants Wind showed. (Reporting by Muyu Xu and Josephine Mason Editing by Christian Schmollinger)